Readers discuss the Israel-Hamas War, the Liberals' carbon tax hypocrisy, and more
Re: Hamas is very upfront about its genocidal intent. Why do some refuse to believe it? — Michael Higgins, Nov. 2
I am 91 years old, gentile, Canadian since 1953, and lived through World War Two as a child in Holland. Just before the war I saw the Jewish refugees who had fled from Germany, and later I witnessed the persecution of Jews in Holland. Consequently, my hatred for Nazi Germany was pretty deep. Japan joined that distinction as well.
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When the war was forced upon us, and the many horrible years that followed, there was no mention of ceasefires, temporary halts in fighting or bombing in order to spare innocent lives.
There was a war to be won and the cost would be unbelievably high, weighing especially on the innocents in the countries of those who had started it all. It would be on their conscience, the conscience of the persons initiating the killing and violence.
That was then.
Things are different today in some ways.
It is so wonderful that both Germany and Japan are valuable members of the free world now. That gives some hope for the future. Millions of people from countries that fought each other reconciled once the evil had been eradicated.
Yet, even today evil still has to be rooted out, certainly the evil shown in the unprovoked killing of many innocents by Hamas under the most horrible conditions and in unspeakably cruel fashion.
Those starting it are now paying the price, rather, thousands of others now have to pay the price. Especially when Hamas is using innocents as human shields. It is on Hamas’s conscience that there can be no pause in the retribution they knew would follow.
Hamas should not be given time to regroup and spread their evil again. How unutterably sad that they caused this, directed apparently by a leadership living in comfort in Qatar.
Hank Kuntz, Brampton, Ont.
Hamas has never been about Palestinians. It is about the eradication of Israel and it uses Palestinian civilians as human shields for its terrorist activities. Hamas, its supporters and advocates are a cancer that threatens the fabric of the Middle East.
Since Oct. 7, that cancer has surfaced in Canada. Various groups within our institutions of so-called higher learning and public protests are celebrating the terrorist acts of Hamas and the blatant promotion of antisemitism with little censure.
The cancerous rot within our universities must be stopped. Participating faculty members should have their taxpayer-funded grants withdrawn and their teaching positions terminated. Participating students should be expelled. Participating faculty unions should be decertified and banned. Participating student organizations should be banned.
If the participants in the public protests are not Canadian citizens, they should be deported forthwith. If they hold dual or multiple citizenships, their Canadian citizenships should be cancelled prior to deportation. If they are Canadian citizens, they should be in jail.
There must be consequences for abhorrent behaviour.
In contrast to his reaction to the freedom convoy, our dilettante prime minister’s response to these protests has been so underwhelming that one must suspect he supports them.
As we approach Remembrance Day, we must ask if our past sacrifices have been in vain.
Bob Chisholm, Calgary
Re: Knives out for Trudeau’s fatally injured carbon tax — John Ivison, Nov. 1; and Federal clean electricity rules would cause disruption and price spikes, Alberta says in official response — Ryan Tumilty, Nov. 3
The blatant hypocrisy of Justin Trudeau in granting a Liberal stronghold relief from his own carbon tax jackboot is not surprising. It would take someone with principles and conviction to stand by their policy. The most galling aspect of the prime minister’s hypocrisy is his unwillingness to extend the results of it to all Canadians. It is time for this power hungry leader of disunity to be removed from office. Alas, that decision is denied to Canadians by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who is more interested in guaranteeing his gold-plated pension than he is in serving the needs of Canada.
Gordon S. Clarry, Rogers, Ark.
Those who are pushing for a global net zero by 2050 seem to be ignoring several issues:
• China and India, with more than a third of the world’s population, are not on schedule to comply;
• The technology we need does not exist; even John Kerry concedes that;
• Africa, the fastest growing continent in terms of population, can only reach net zero by abandoning any hope of economic development, which should be at least an ethical issue for us;
• The supply of metals needed involves ignoring the stench in human welfare terms accompanying cobalt production in Africa and rare earths in China; and
• Recent thoughtful books by Judith Curry and Steven Koonin (neither of whom is a so-called denier) indicate persuasively that the world is not in a climate crisis.
Taking all of this into consideration indicates that the focus should be on adaption and technical development.
John Sutherland, Calgary
Re: Canada’s not-great economy takes a turn for the worse — Tristin Hopper, Nov. 2
It’s depressing. Always reading about poor Canada — the weak sister in the G7. We are taxed at a level akin to socialist European countries, but do not enjoy the material benefits, like a robust health-care system.
If not for tax-and-spend policies and regulation and protection all driving away investment, our productivity would be closer to that of the U.S.A. and our GDP closer to that of Germany and Japan than Russia.
We need leaders who will finally open our business and industry to free trade, both internationally and domestically. We need leaders who will encourage development of our coveted resources for Canadian use and for world markets. We need serious leaders who will make decisions for their constituents and the country, rather than for those who will re-elect them.
Larry Sylvester, Acton, Ont.
Re: The sad reality of Trudeau Doctrine — Tasha Kheiriddin, Oct. 25
Justin Trudeau will have noticed that global conflicts have increased in recent years, and that this trend has challenged his vision of one overwhelming progressive culture that gives equal weight to all ideologies, whether or not they be true, and whether or not they be virtuous. Clearly the atrocities committed by Hamas defy both virtue and truth, even though there are street demonstrators in Canada claiming that such attacks have virtue.
Whereas in the past, Canada would have no problem supporting an Israeli democracy, Canada is now caught up in a quagmire of progressive globalism, such that Trudeau has become less of a national leader and more of a scapegoat for global entanglements and appeasement.
The Liberals unfortunately, are under the delusion of postmodernism, whereby all expressions are declared truthful, and all actions declared excusable.
But in a land where nothing matters, worry is defeatist.
Gordon Watson, Rocky Mountain House, Alta.
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